100's march in Birmingham seeking justice over deaths

More than 1,000 people took to the streets of Birmingham yesterday (Saturday) in a march for justice to show their support for the grieving family of Kingsley Burrell and many other young men who have died after coming into contact with police. The three-hour march ended in an angry rally outside West Midlands Police headquarters in the city centre where protesters vented their fury.

March organisers urged the crowd to sign an online petition to demand a full public inquiry into the deaths of Burrell, reggae singer Smiley Culture, who died in March, and many others.

Maxie Hayles, who chairs the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU) called for a war memorial for those who have died in police custody.

“We must have this because war has been declared on us,” he said. “This is a state of emergency because our young people have been brutalised for far too long.

“I have not seen such anger and passion at a demonstration for a very long time. That tells me that something has gone drastically wrong with West Midlands Police.”

Lee Jasper, race equality campaigner, urged the black community to reunite as a people in order to win justice for those who had died. He said 10,000 names were needed for a petition to demand a public inquiry from the Government.

He said: “This is not a Hollywood movie this is a long, dirty struggle and we need your support.”